Two assaulted in ‘kangkung’ rally

BUTTERWORTH (Jan 19, 2014): Two men were assaulted during a Penang pro-Umno rally in support of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak after the premier's "kangkung" remarks.

The motorcyclist and the pillion rider were pulled off their machine after they were alleged to have uttered racist remarks against the 300-plus strong Malay crowd.

Fortunately, plainclothes policemen intervened and defused the situation by pulling one of them into a patrol car before speeding away while the other was believed to have escaped during the commotion.

During the rally, Machang Bubuk assemblyman Lee Khai Loon was lampooned for his role in a flash mob on Friday where demonstrators had stuffed 10kg of the common vegetable into a cardboard cutout face of Najib.

Bearing placards mocking the first-term assemblyman, the mob spared no expense in displaying their emotions as they also burned an effigy of the PKR man.

PKR's political ally, the DAP, was also not spared as pictures of Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng were splashed with water by the crowd.

The mob had earlier gathered at a food court in Alma near here before making their way to Lee's service centre.

With them was Penang Umno secretary Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir who warned Lee not to insult the Malays.

Meanwhile, Penang CID chief SAC Mazlan Kesah said the demonstration was held without a permit and investigations would be carried out under Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

The law requires the organiser to inform the district police chief of any rally 10 days before the event.